According to Severino H. Gaña, Jr., senior deputy state prosecutor, a 1.4-hectare site has already been identifi ed along Pinatubo Street near the Redwood Villas here for the National Prosecution Service Academy (NPSA).
Gaña said Architect Felino A. Palafox, Jr. will design the NPSA which will have a dormitory, a training center and a convention center. G
aña also said part of the funding for the NPSA will come from South Korean government under the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica). “We are ready to go to Korea because Koica will be funding this,” he said. But Gaña added that the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and the European Union are also willing to help fund the construction of the NPSA.
Gaña said they want the construction to be fi nished before the end of the year. “Minamadali namin gusto namin matapos na (We are hurrying up because we want this to be fi nished already),” he said.
Gaña met with Palafox at the Royce Hotel here on Wednesday where Gov. Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pineda hosted them for lunch.
Meanwhile, Mabalacat City Mayor Marino “Boking” Morales, who was also in the meeting, expressed his elation with the project.
“This is a welcome development. We will be able to improve the justice system in this country because this academy will improve the effi ciency, eff ectivity and productivity of the Department of Justice,” Morales said.
The National Prosecution Service is mandated to assist the Secretary of Justice in the performance of powers and functions of the Department relative to its role as the prosecution arm of the government, particularly the investigation and prosecution of criminal off enses.
The said mandate and present NPS organization is contained in PD No. 1275, as amended, and EO 292, Administrative Code of 1987. As of the end of 2008, besides the Offi ce of the Chief State Prosecutor (OCSP) in the Department Proper, the NPS has offi ces in 15 regions, 132 cities and 81 provinces (with around 110 active provincial sub-offi ces).
The NPS is manned by 1,847 prosecution of- fi cers (prosecutors and prosecution attorneys) out of the existing 2,404 plantilla positions (557 or 23% vacancies) and 1,687 administrative support staff out of 1,945 plantilla positions (258 or 13% vacancies). The said NPS personnel are augmented by around 1,000 support staff provided by local government units (LGUs).
